FDA To Provide Funding for FSMA Education, Training and Technical Assistance

FDA has announced two opportunities for funding, in the form of cooperative agreements, to enhance food safety under FSMA. The two cooperative agreements to enhance food safety and FSMA compliance are for Native American Tribes Outreach, Education and Training; and for Local Food Producer Outreach, Education, and Training. The outreach, education and training needs addressed in these cooperative agreements is to focus on applicable federal preventive controls regulations under FSMA, especially the Produce Safety and Preventive Controls for Human Food rules.

FSMA calls for enhanced partnerships and integration with FDA’s food safety federal, state, local, tribal and territorial partners in order to achieve public health goals. To this end, the Agency has been working with such partners to develop and implement an integrated food safety system. FDA anticipates that federally recognized tribes will need food safety education and training that addresses the regulatory requirements of the applicable FSMA rules and also encompasses specific cultural practices associated with produce farming and food manufacturing/processing within tribes relevant to their status as sovereign nations.

Also announced is a funding opportunity for local food producers for outreach, education and training with the purpose of enhancing food safety and FSMA compliance.  FDA foresees that local food producers and processors will need food safety education and training that encompasses specific practices associated with produce farming and food manufacturing/processing relevant to their scale of production and management practices.  This cooperative agreement is intended for owners and operators of small and mid-size farms and businesses involved in local food production and processing, with an emphasis on those that are involved in local food systems, while taking into account diversified, sustainable, organic and identity-preserved agricultural production and processing.

The award for the tribal cooperative agreement will be up to $750,000 each year for three (3) years and the award for the local food producer community will be $1,500,000 in FY 2016, with the possibility of two (2) additional years of support contingent upon satisfactory performance and the availability of Federal Fiscal Year funds.